The Influence of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) Cooperative Learning Model on the Learning Motivation in Christian Religious Education and Character Formation among Ninth-Grade Students at SMP Negeri 1 Pagaran

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) cooperative learning model on the learning motivation in Christian Religious Education and Character Formation among ninth-grade students at SMP Negeri 1 Pagaran in the 2025/2026 academic year. This research employed a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental design using a one-group pretest–posttest format. The population consisted of all ninth-grade Protestant Christian students at SMP Negeri 1 Pagaran in the 2025/2026 academic year, totaling 147 students. A purposive sampling technique was applied to select a sample of 32 students from class IX-1. Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire comprising 24 positive items. The data analysis results indicated a significant effect of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) cooperative learning model on students’ learning motivation in Christian Religious Education and Character Formation. This finding is evidenced by: (1) an increase in the mean pre-test score of students’ learning motivation from 74.1875 to 85.6250 on the post-test, showing an improvement of 11.4375 points after the implementation of the STAD model; and (2) the results of the significance test showing that the calculated t value exceeded the t_table value (α = 0.05; df = 31), with t_count = 8.035 >  t_table= 2.042. Therefore, the alternative hypothesis (Ha), which states that there is a significant influence of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) cooperative learning model on the learning motivation in Christian Religious Education and Character Formation among ninth-grade students at SMP Negeri 1 Pagaran in the 2025/2026 academic year, is accepted.